27-Year-Old Mom Among Victims of New Orleans Attack: 'I Don't Know How I Can Explain It' to Her Son, Grandma Says

Mar. 15, 2025

Nicole Perez.Photo:GoFundMe

GoFundMe

Nicole Perez, a 27-year-old mother from Metairie, Louisiana, has been confirmed as a victim of theNew Orleans attack.

During an interview on theTodayshow Thursday, Jan. 2, Nicole’s mother Martha Perez tearfully spoke about her daughter’s death.

“I love her and now she’s gone and never coming back,” she said.

Kimberley Usher-Fall, Nicole’s manager and friend, toldABC Newsthat she was a “great mother” who had recently been promoted at the deli where she worked.

“She just was a really exciting little young lady,” she added, sharing that Nicole would often bring Melo to the deli, where she would help him learn how to read.

“It’s not been a good day for the family,” Usher-Fall told New Orleans local news outletNOLA.com.

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Crime scene on Bourbon Street in New Orleans after the attack.Michael DeMocker/Getty

Michael DeMocker/Getty

The deli manager has also set up aGoFundMefor Nicole with the aim of raising $50,000 for her son, as well as burial expenses. On the page, Usher-Fall referred to Nicole as “so beautiful and full of life.”

She also noted, “Her son Melo is now without his momma, and we are without our friend and dedicated employee. I’m hoping to get some help for her burial expenses and to help her son with expenses he will need to transition into a new living situation.”

Thedeath toll in the attackhas now risen to at least 15 people, the FBI announced on Jan. 1.

The deceased suspect has been identified as 42-year-oldShamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, the FBI said in anews release. The FBI also confirmed the presence of an apparent ISIS flag in the Ford pickup truck used in the attack.

source: people.com